Beauvale Priory

[Engie]

Beauvale Priory, a short history

Beauvale Priory was a Carthusian monastery founded by Nicholas de Cantelupe in 1343 near Beauvale, Nottinghamshire and was one of nine other Carthusian houses established in England.

Following the break with Rome under King Henry VIII Robert Lawrence the Prior of Beauvale travelled to London in 1535 to see Thomas Cromwell to try and persuade him to stop the closure of the priory but upon arriving he was thrown into the Tower of London as a traitor. He was eventually charged with "verbal treason" for claiming King Henry was not the supreme head of the Church of England and was hung drawn and quartered (along with former Prior of Beauvale and now saint John Houghton). Robert Lawrence became one of a group known as the Carthusian Martyrs and was made a saint by Pope Paul VI in 1970.

The priory was finally surrendered in 1539, the monks were unable to carry on due to heavy fines placed upon the them and Prior Thomas Woodcock was forced to sign away the land. The priory itself and its possessions was given to Sir William Huse of London in 1541, the priory was stripped and left to ruin.

Further reading:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beauvale_Priory
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Houghton_(Martyr)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Lawrence_(saint)
http://www.beauvalepriory.co.uk/
http://beauvale-society.org/backmain.aspx